Amongst others for June we have Item 9.1.3 Final approval of Scheme Amendment 105 for Howe Rd ( yield of 25 lots ), Item 9.1.4 Request to initiate Scheme Amendment 102 to rezone lot 5 Cussons Rd ( the old sawmill site yield of 24 lots ) and a Structure Plan for Kearsley Rd planning unit c ( yield of 87 lots ) for a grand total of 136 lots. Also there is Item 9.3.2 Streetlighting . It is proposed to upgrade and install various new streetlights. The upshot is the operating costs for streetlighting will go from $20,000 to $40,000 pa ie will double ! This is all whats called the path of progress.
Regarding the street lighting item:
Firstly, I would like to question the need for any street lighting outside the town area (i.e. outside the 50 kph speed restriction area).
I live on Minsterly Road, which has street lighting. This might be useful if I only walked along Minsterly Road in the dark, but I don’t, so I take a torch with me anyway. There doesn’t appear to be a reason for street lights – there aren’t many people walking around at night, so it’s not a high foot traffic area, and there doesn’t seem to be a security problem in the area (if there is, please let me know what it is!).
Similarly, I would like to ask why there are street lights being erected in the new Springdale Beach development. I understood it to be a rural setting, which in my experience does not include lamp-posts.
We have requests from the State government to reduce power use, so how about turning off the street lights in Minsterly Road and other areas outside town as a power reduction measure. At the end of the 2-3 months we are told it will take to get back to normal we could assess the need for them to be turned on again based on experience.
Secondly, what are the “lighting standards” mentioned in the agenda item? Where are they documented?
A further suggestion on reducing power use.
How about turning off the light on the visitors centre tower? What purpose does it serve? I can’t see that it is a security measure – the lights around the ground floor seem to me to be adequate for that purpose. And, on a personal level, it can’t be for aesthetic reasons – the tower looks like something from a prison and the new ‘decorative’ thing isn’t.
Has an audit or survey been undertaken to see what lighting is actually needed in public places in Denmark? Nobody asked me!
Who decides which street-lights are to be upgraded, and where the new ones will be? Existing street lighting is useless for pedestrians, creating pools of shadows alternating with blinding light. It is easier to see by moon-light or a torch.Will the new lights have shades to direct the light downwards to where it is needed? Even my bedroom was invaded by the light across the road until I planted some trees to block it out.
And why on earth do we need street lighting away from the centre of town?? One of the charms of country living is being able to see the moon and the stars, and enjoy the darkening of the sky in the evening.
I have lost the pleasure I used to have in watching the sunset and the first stars now that the tin tower across the road is lit up with spotlights, with its square windows glowing like monsters eyes. As Judy says, for what purpose? Aren’t we supposed to be saving energy? The ambience of a country town also depends on how it looks at night……